A key to creating a high performing media instance is to ensure that every event in the media elicits the desired responses from viewers. Here, the media instance can be but is not limited to, a video game, an advertisement clip, a movie, a computer application, a printed media (e.g., a magazine), a website, an online advertisement, a recorded video, a live performance of media, and other types of media.
Physiological data, which includes but is not limited to heart rate, brain waves, electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, blink rate, breathing, motion, muscle movement, galvanic skin response and any other response correlated with changes in emotion of a viewer of a media instance, can give a trace (e.g., a line drawn by a recording instrument) of the viewer's responses while he/she is watching the media instance. The physiological data can be measure by one or more physiological sensors, each of which can be but is not limited to, an electroencephalogram, electrocardiogram, an accelerometer, a blood oxygen sensor, a galvanometer, an electromyograph, skin temperature sensor, breathing sensor, eye tracking, pupil dilation sensing, and any other physiological sensor.
It is well established that physiological data in the human body of a viewer correlates with the viewer's change in emotions. Thus, from the measured “low level” physiological data, “high level” (e.g., easier to understand, intuitive to look at) physiological responses from the viewers of the media instance can be created. An effective media instance that connects with its audience/viewers is able to elicit the desired emotional response. Here, the high level physiological responses include, but are not limited to, liking (valence)—positive/negative responses to events in the media instance, intent to purchase or recall, emotional engagement in the media instance, thinking—amount of thoughts and/or immersion in the experience of the media instance, and adrenaline—anger, distraction, frustration, and other emotional experiences to events in the media instance, and tension and stress.
Advertisers, media producers, educators, scientists, engineers, doctors and other relevant parties have long desired to have greater access to collected reactions to their media products and records of responses through a day from their targets, customers, clients and pupils. These parties desire to understand the responses people have to their particular stimulus in order to tailor their information or media instances to better suit the needs of end users and/or to increase the effectiveness of the media instance created. Making the reactions to the media instances available remotely over the Web to these interested parties has potentially very large commercial and socially positive impacts. Consequently, allowing a user to remotely access and analyze the media instance and the physiological responses from numerous viewers to the media instance is desired.